Means for humidifying and washing air.



W. C. H. NOBLE. MEANS FOR HUMIDIFYING AND WASHING AIR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2, 1913.

Patented June 16, 1914.

fill/gala 1* fi iessed UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

WILLIAM C. H. NOBLE, DF IIOS A NGELES, CALIFORNIA.

MEANS FOR HUMIDIFYING AND WASHING AIR.

Specification. Letters Patent.

Patented June 16, 1914.

Application filed September 2, 1913. Serial No. 787,634. 7

This invention relates to means for supplying moisture to air and at the same time, removing from the air any suspended matter such as dust, and the main object of the invention is to provide means for performing these-operations in the most economical and effective manner, andwith a minimum of moving parts. i

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a machine embodying my invention, and referring thereto 5 Figure 1 is a verticallongitudinal section of the machine. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectionon line 02 50 Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detailed section showing the construction of the filter members. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the outer filtei members. Fig. 5 is a transverse section through a'portion of the easing, showing the filter members in section. Fig. 6 is a detail-section partly in elevation of the water distributing means.

The machine comprises a casing or shell 1, a rotary fan 2, water distributing means 3 for supplying water to said fan, and filtering means interposed in the path of the air passing from said fan to perform the humid ifying and washing operations thereon.

The casing 1' may be of any suitable form being, for example, an upright sheetmetal casing, rectangular in cross section at its lower portion, and having at one side an inlet 5 through which air passes from the outside to the interior ofthe casing, and said casing having at its upper portion at one end thereof, an outlet 6 through which the air is delivered to any suitable pipe for conveying it to any desired place or places. The side of the casing opposite the said out let pipe 6 is preferably rounded as shown at 7, so as to direct the air to the outlet. The

bottom portion of the casing is formed as a watertight tank indicated at 8, to receive a bodyof water indicated at 9, and to collect the water draining ordripping from the filtering means, as hereinafter set forth. Water is supplied to this tank or water re-.

ceiving portion 8 of the casing by a water supply p1pe indicated at 10, and an overflow or outlet 11 is provided for carrying off the Water when it rises above a definite level, so

as to maintain a constant level in the said portion of the casing. A drain pipe 12 normally closed by a valve 13 is provided to drain out the contents of the water tank 8 when required.

The fan 2 is carried by a rotary shaft 1 1 mounted in bearings 15 on a frame or standard 16, said shaft carrying a-driving pulley 17 whereby power is applied thereto to rotate the fan 2. The fan 2 may be of any suitable construction, being for example, composed of a series of blades or vanes 17 carried by a spider 18 mounted on the shaft 14:, said blades being preferably concaved or cupped on their forward faces.

-- The water distributing means comprises tubular'anns or pipes 3 communicating with a bore 19 in theshaft 14: and having nozzles 20- at their outer extremities to discharge water into'the space within the fan blades 17 and onto said fan blades. Two series of said tubular arms or pipes 3 may be provided as shown, in order toeffect better distribution of the water onto the fan blades. Water is supplied to the tubular shaft 14 by a pipe 21 communicating with any suitable portion of water supply, for example, with the outlet of a pump not shown, whose'inlet is connected to a pipe 22 communicating with the water tank 8 aforesaid.

In the casing 1 above the water tank 8 are 23 and 24 perforated as shown at 25, said perforations being staggered in the respective plates, the function of these plates being to prevent the lifting or entraining' of the water in the bottom of the casing 1 by reason of the rapid rotary motion of the air" in said casing, while permitting drainage of water from the filtering meansto, the bottom of the casing. Above said intercepting plates 23 and 24 and around the fan 2, I provide a plurality of filtering devices. The mner filtering devices consist preferably of a series of wire screens 26 supported by cross bars 27 extending acrom the casing 1 and the outer filtering and eliminating means consisting preferably of a series of perforated plates 30, 31 and 32 supported by cross bars 33 extending across the casing 1.- The said inner filtering devices are preferably closer to the fan "at their lower portions and spiral, the portions on the opposite side of water entrained with the air.

portion of the inner filtering devices from thelower to the upper part thereof on the ascending side of the fan is preferably the fan being formed with horizontal and vertical parts 34 and 35, and a deflector 36 is arranged in the angle between said horizontal vertical parts so as to obstruct and arrest the rotary movement'of the air and deflect the air upwardly through the. filter-- ing devices toward the outlet 6. The outer filtering devices are arranged in similar manner to the inner filtering devices and are provided with perforations 38 and'with fins or projections 39 adjacent to said perforations to increase the acting surface and to more efi'ectively intercept the air passing therethrough. These fins or projections 39 are preferably formed by bending up the portions of the metal cutout from the plates in forming the perforations 38 and in order to increase the bafiiing and intercepting efl'ect,-the fins 39 on the inner plates 30 and 31 are .turned inwardly and the fins 39 on the outer plate are turned outwardly as shown in Fig. 3. The edges of these fins 39 and of the openings 38 operate to separate or eliminate any drops or particles of v The devices 30, 31 and 32, thus serve as eliminators for unevaporated, entrained water in addition to their functions of filtering and humidification.

The operation is as follows: Water having been supplied to the tank portion 8 of the casing, as indicated at 9, the shaft 14 is set in rotation, causing the fan 2ffto revolveand to force the air outwardly from the fan by centrifugal action, the air being drawn in through inlet 5 and passing through the blades 2 and being set in rotative action thereby and delivered through the filtering devices to the outletfi. v A t the same time, water is supplied through the pipe 21 and tubular shaft 1 1 to the water distributing pipes 3 and nozzles 29wl1ich discharge the water onto the rapidly moving fan blades 17 by which the water 1s broken up so that it passes along the air in the form of a more or less finely divided spray. The fan blades being continually moved in this manner act to some extent as intercepting surfaces, catchin any dust and causing it to be caught y. thewater, but the main washing action as well as the humidification of the air is efiected bythe filtering devices, consisting of the wire screens 26 and the intercepting plates 30, 31 and 32 which present an enormous surface which is-contlnually wetted by the passage of the water there .in most cases, about with means for su through and which continually intercept and bafiles the cur ent of air and bringing it into efiective contact with the water, the pro jections 39 of the intercepting plates being especially important in this intercepting-and bafiiing action. The water passing along with the air is in part taken up by the air, humidifying the same, the rest of it collecting on the filtering devices and draining therefrom through the intercepting plates 23 and 2 1 into the body of water 9 into which the water overflows into pipe 11 or is repumped to the water distributing means by suitable pumping devices. I

The outer filtering devices 30, 31 and 32 have the further function of eliminating any excess of moisture that is taken up by the air. It is desirable that the humidity of the air be maintained at or about a certain value, relative humidity, and any excess of humidity over this amount is objectionable as it involves waste of heat, liability to deposition of -dew on cooling. In passing through the first set of filtering devices the air will in general, attain close to saturation, and as this air passes over the edges of the punched out fins or projections 39, the small drops or particles of Water that are being carried along by the air are caught by said edges and the air thereby relieved. of the excesshumidity, leaving only that portion of the entrained water that has been evaporated and taken up by the air.

The small spheroidal drops that would be carried by mere velocit without having been evaporated are eliminated and the air is left in a condition running from 40% or 60% or of saturation, and in such shape that it can be readily made use of for ventilating.

What I claim is:

1. An air humidifying and washing device, comprising a casin having an inlet andan outlet, a rotatab y mounted shaft having a portion extending withinthe casing, a fan carried by said shaft and comprising a circular series of blades, a plurality of water distributing nozzles carried by said shaft, said shaft being tubular and provided plying water there through to said nozz es, said nozzles being located within the circular series of fan blades'to' supply water tlgereto, and filtering devices located in'fixed position within the casing between the fan and the outlet of the casing.

2. An air humidifying and washin device, comprising a casing having an in et in its side and an outlet at its upper portion, a fan rotatably mounted in said casing and provided with a series of circularly arran ed blades, the said inlet of the casing opening into the space within said blades, water distributin means for supplying water at the inner side of said blades, and a perforated v screen extending across the casing from side to side, and completely surrounding said fan.

3. An air humidifying and vwashing device, comprising a casing having an inlet in its side and an outlet atits upperportion, a fan rotatab'ly mounted in said casing and provided with a series of circularly arranged blades, the said inlet of the casing opening into the space within said blades, water distributing means for supplying water at the inner side of said blades,and a plurality of perforated screens extending across the easing from side to side, and completely sur-' rounding the same, the outermost of said screens bein provided with projections serving for ellmination of water from the air passing therethrough; 4. An'f'air humidifying and washin device, comprising a casing having aninet in its side and an outlet at its upper portion, a fan rotatably mounted in said casing and provided with a series of circularly arranged blades, the said inlet of the casing opening into the space within said blades, water distributing means for supplyingwater at'the inner side of said blades, a plurality of per forated screens extending across the casing from side to side, and completely surrounding the same, the outermost ofsaid screens being provided with projections serving for elimination of water from the air passing therethrough, and a deflector between said screen and fan fordeflecting the air from the fan toward the outlet of the casing.

5. A humidifying and washing device for .air, comprising a casing having an inlet in its side and an outlet at its upper end por-- t-ion and adapted. to contain a body of water in its lower portion, a fan rotatably mounted in said casing adjacent to said inlet, means for pumping water from the lower part of said casing and distributing it onto said, fan,v

a screen extending around said fan between said tan and said outlet, and a perforated plate extending between said screen and the said body of water in the lower portion of the casing to permit water from the screen to drip to said body of water, but to prevent water being taken 'up from said body of water by the motion of air produced by the fair In testimony whereof, Ihave hereunto set my hand atLos Angeles, California this 26th day of August, 1913.

WILLIAM C. H. NOBLE.

In presence 'of-'- A. P. KNIGHT, Loni; M. Bownas. 

